This invention relates to tailgates for vehicles, and in particular relates to tailgates which are swingable in multiple relations.
It is conventional for some vehicle tailgates to rotate about both a horizontal and a vertical axis. Such tailgates may swing open horizontally as a door to permit closure or access to a bed, or may be swung downwardly about a horizontal axis to permit loading or to carry objects which project rearwardly from the vehicle bed. Various tailgate assemblies have been developed, including split tailgates, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,594, which include both a sideward opening component and a lay down hinge assembly as in a conventional pick-up truck bed tailgate. Some known tailgate assemblies are intended to provide a universal opening function, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,806,735. However, such assemblies offer a split tailgate arranged in side-by-side doors, wherein each door swings vertically open so that one half door is on one side and the remaining half door is on the other side. The two halves are connectable, so that the tailgate formed by the door halves can swing up or down in a unitary manner. The difficulty with these split gate or door assemblies is that the two halves are often not well connected, and are not sturdy enough to withstand a load placed thereon, such as is the usual case with a pick-up truck bed, or a dump truck bed.
The objects of the present invention are to provide an tailgate for a load vehicle which can be swung as a door left or right, and operate as a tailgate swung up or down, to provide such a tailgate which is sufficiently study for heavy loads; and to provide such a tailgate which is well suited for the intended purpose.
To address these needs for a truly universal tailgate, which can withstand heavy loads being placed thereon, applicants invention is a tailgate for a load carrier vehicle and comprises a single tailgate section secured to a bed of a load carrier vehicle by left and right hinge assemblies. The hinge assemblies are readily disconnectable on either side so that the entire tailgate may swing left or right. The tailgate is also secured to the vehicle bed by top and bottom sets of latch assemblies which are readily operable and disconnectable by an operator for selective vertical swinging of the tailgate from a selected top or bottom set of the latch assemblies. The tailgate thus is selectively able to swing horizontally left or right about vertical axes or the tailgate is able to swing vertically from the top or the bottom about horizontal axes.